Electronic musical instruments and systems

Abstract

This disclosure relates generally to electronic methods. More musical instruments, systems, and particularly, this disclosure relates to electronic percussion instruments such as tom toms, snare drums, bass drums, cymbals, and hi-hats, and assemblies of instruments (e.g., percussion instruments), such as drum sets. Even more particularly, this disclosure relates to wireless electronic percussion instruments, and percussion instruments with interchangeable and/or removable components to change the instrument between a traditional percussion instrument (that relies on resonance and/or vibration to produce sound) and an electronic percussion instrument. The present disclosure also relates to electronic cymbal instruments, such as cymbal assemblies and hi-hat assemblies, that can be used in conjunction with a traditional acoustic metal cymbal.

We claim: 
     
       1. An electronic musical instrument system, comprising:
 a hub; and 
 one or more musical instruments, each of said musical instruments comprising:
 one or more sensors; 
 an electronic; and 
 a power source powering said electronic; 
 
 wherein each of said one or more sensors is configured to produce an impulse in response to an actuation of said musical instrument; and 
 wherein said electronic is configured to accept said impulse from each of said one or more sensors, convert said impulse from each of said one or more sensors into a signal comprising a MIDI note component and/or a MIDI velocity component, and wirelessly transmit said signal to said hub. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein said electronic comprises a circuit board, and a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting said signal to said hub. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein upon acceptance of said impulse from said sensor, said electronic is configured to determine whether to transmit said signal by determining whether said impulse exceeds a minimum sending threshold, and upon making a determination to transmit said signal, to determine the contents of said signal. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein said hub comprises a receiver, and wherein said hub is configured to, upon receipt by said receiver of said signal from a transmitting one of said musical instruments, send an acknowledgment signal to said transmitting one of said musical instruments. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 4 , wherein said transmitting one of said musical instruments is configured to resend said signal if an acknowledgment is not received within a set period of time. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 5 , wherein said set period of time is 1 ms or less. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , wherein said one or more musical instruments comprises a plurality of said musical instruments. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 7 , wherein each of said musical instruments is configured to wirelessly transmit to said hub on a first frequency, said first frequency the same for each of said plurality of musical instruments. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 8 , wherein said hub is configured to respond to each of said musical instruments with an acknowledgment signal upon receipt of a signal from that musical instrument. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 9 , wherein said hub is configured to wirelessly transmit said acknowledgment signals on a second frequency different than said first frequency. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 7 , wherein each of said musical instruments is configured to resend a respective signal if an acknowledgment from said hub is not received within a set period of time after sending said respective signal, and wherein said set period of time is different for each of said musical instruments. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 7 , wherein said plurality of musical instruments comprises at least one drum comprising an acoustic drum, and at least one cymbal instrument comprising an acoustic cymbal. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 7 , wherein said plurality of musical instruments is a drum set comprising a snare drum, a bass drum, a tom tom, a cymbal, and a hi-hat. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 1 , wherein said signal is 25 bytes or less. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 1 , wherein a message length of said signal is 250 us or less. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a computer, wherein said hub is connected to said computer. 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a hardware-based sound module, wherein said hub is connected to said hardware-based sound module. 
     
     
       18. The system  claim 1 , further comprising one or more speakers, wherein said hub is connected to said one or more speakers. 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 1 , wherein said one or more musical instruments comprises a drum comprising an acoustic drum. 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 1 , wherein said one or more musical instruments comprises a drum; wherein said sensor is a first sensor, and further comprising a second sensor;
 wherein said first sensor is a piezoelectric sensor, and said impulse from said first sensor is produced upon actuation of a drumhead of said drum; 
 wherein said second sensor is an FS sensor, and said impulse from said second sensor is produced in response to pressure on said drumhead; and 
 wherein said electronic adjusts said signal based on the impulse from said FS sensor such that the signal is configured to produce a different sound than if no pressure were sensed. 
 
     
     
       21. The system of  claim 1 , wherein said signal comprises said MIDI note component and said MIDI velocity component. 
     
     
       22. The system of  claim 1 , wherein said one or more sensors comprises a plurality of sensors, and wherein said electronic is configured to receive said impulses from said plurality of sensors and convert said impulses from said plurality of sensors into said signal. 
     
     
       23. A method of operating an electronic musical instrument system comprising a hub and an electronic drum set comprising a plurality of percussion instruments, comprising:
 in each of said percussion instruments, producing one or more sensor impulses, and receiving said one or more sensor impulses with a respective electronic in each of said percussion instruments; 
 in each of said percussion instruments, with said respective electronic, converting said one or more sensor impulses into one or more instrument signals comprising a MIDI note component and/or a MIDI velocity component, and wirelessly transmitting said one or more instrument signals from each of said percussion instruments to said hub. 
 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 23 , wherein each of said one or more instrument signals comprises said MIDI note component and said MIDI velocity component.